I’m adapting

I’m working on a big post but I’ve been using my time off to be time on. I’ve done a lot. I’ve finally wrapped up some projects, I’ve gotten my first haircut in over a year. Oh, and I left my kid in daycare and took 4 days to myself.

Special shout out to my husband who let me sleep in two of these days! I’ve also joined a gym.

I know, you think “oh she’s just trying to get fit for New Year’s”. For the record, I don’t do resolutions. However, I DO do things for my mental health because I am worth the investment. I had been running but now that the days are shorter than ever and it is too cold to run with my baby, I am just not able to get out as much as I had been. It became more of a frustration and certainly did not help my depression. But, now I’m embracing the cold and joined the local rec center. I stopped making excuses.

At first, I was like, “It’s so expensive”. In reality, it was very affordable. I’m worth $35.00 a month. I’ve been going every other day basically for the past two weeks. No regrets. I felt bad dropping the kid at the gym daycare but I’ve kind of gotten over it. I can view her from the track above if I go running and she is clearly being doted on by the daycare people. So, in general, I’m happy. I will probably only do daycare once a week for her but I’m looking at it as a way to give my husband a break and to use the day I go as a time for us to do whatever we each want for dinner which frees me up, too. In all, I’m pretty satisfied with how it’s going.

I am not a gym person. At all. My only goal is fitness and to tighten up my stomach as much as possible. I’ve slowly and consistently lost weight since my daughter was born but I have a lot of jelly-belly. Again, I don’t judge or attach a “bad” feeling to it. I just want to be in better shape and to have my body back to being mine. I guess I really just want to feel more in control of it. That’s it. I don’t really want to exercise indoors but I live in the Midwest. As someone who works all day, getting in an afternoon run is just not possible anymore and cycling is completely off the table with the baby. We now have a child seat for her so we will be back to that in the spring.

I’m telling myself “this is not forever” and “you can focus on things you enjoy”. So, I joined and have just been lifting, running, and now swimming. I swam in college a lot. It was my preferred activity and, with an Olympic sized lap pool and my disposal, it made sense. But I’ve always been nervous to join a deep water exercise or water aerobics class. I always saw a bunch of older ladies and worried I’d stick out like a sore thumb.

I did. At first. And then I realized that this was a great workout. Because the high intensity class is based on intervals and resistance, you choose how fast and hard you go. It is suitable for the octogenarians and me all the same. And it’s fun! The social aspect I worried about, as I just generally hate group exercise and like to be in my own head, was actually great. I had been mostly basing my experiences off of spinning with a bunch of non-cyclist college students at the rec. This was totally different. The group of women I worked with and got to know was great and they even asked me how it was afterwards. They truly wanted me to return.

So, I may be the youngest person in the class, but overall, it was a positive gym experience. I’m adapting. I’m doing it for no one but me. And I’m worth that bit of investment.

If you’re worried about getting started or trying something new, just ask yourself “what is the worst that can happen?” If you hate a class, don’t go back. If the people in the class are awful, they don’t ever have to be in your life again! If it just doesn’t work for you, don’t sweat it (see what I did there). Try something else. And remember, at the end of the day, it is unlikely anyone is judging you for working out. They are in their head just like you probably are. And if you’re afraid of leaving your kid in daycare for an hour, just do it. They will be fine and so will you!